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TITLE: How does your garden grow?
TEXT: Mark 4:26-30
PROPOSITION: We are involved but can't explain the process of growth.
QUESTION: How?
KEY WORD: Evidences
SCRIPTURE READING: Same
INTRODUCTION:
  1. Farmers and gardeners - work, till soil, plant seeds and harvest
  2. Jesus said the kingdom of God (the church) is similar
  3. From nature we see the evidence of how the church grows
We must begin the process (26)
  1. The seed is in a bag - doing nothing - dead
  2. It will not do anything until we act.
  3. The earth will not grow until we plant the seed.
  4. We must scatter, sow, and plant the seeds.
We watch (27a)
  1. We sleep, get up, look at it
  2. We rise early in morning, next day, in afternoon
  3. 3-4 days - I see something, new sprout, it is alive
We do not know how (27b)
  1. With all our knowledge - much we do not understand
  2. How does a bird migrate and return to same tree? Salmon return?
  3. How does a goose eat corn and grow feathers, a pig eats corn, grows hair?
  4. Why are your fingerprints different than mine?
  5. There is more we don't know - than we do know.
  6. We observe it. We repeat the process with same results. Can't explain how?
  7. God's response to Job - Job 38
    1. Were you present when the earth was formed - 38:4
    2. Command the sun to rise - 38:12
    3. Have you been under the earth - water, oil, gas - 38:16
    4. Can you control the path of a lightning bolt - 38:25
    5. Can you make it rain - 38:26
    6. Did you group the stars - 38:31
  8. Job's response - Job 42:1-3
Plants grow in an orderly fashion (28)
  1. First blade - small shoot
  2. Then ear begins to develop
  3. The corn (grain) in the ear
  4. Then ripe, full grain - ready for harvest
We gather the harvest (30)
  1. We see it is ready
  2. We get the tools - sickle
  3. We harvest the grain
  4. Then boast - Look what I grew!
Applications
  1. Evangelism - We start the process - plant the seed
  2. Let God take over - don't push, pressure, let the Word germinate
  3. Let the process progress in an orderly way
  4. We gather the harvest - baptize them.
  5. We must plant - watch - and harvest.
  6. We cannot make it grow and develop.

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